Uganda to host regional forensic centre

Regional security ministers concluded their fifth meeting in Kigali with the resolution that Uganda should host the East African Community Regional Referral Forensic Centre (RRFC).RFFC is the brain child of the Council of East African Police Chiefs and aims to address challenges in investigations strengthen forensic services and criminal justice department.According to officials, the centre will also facilitate the harmonisation of national forensic centres and provide them with support to tackle criminal related issues.The chairperson of the meeting, Beatrice Kones, told The New Times that the preparations for operationalising the centre are underway adding that it will start very soon. Kones is also the Kenyan Assistant Minister in charge of Home Affairs.She said for the EAC citizens to taste the fruits of integration, collective efforts were needed from all partner states to deal with any security threats that may emerge. “Peace and security are essential in building the community; without peace, there is no security and without security there is no development,” she said.“We are faced with terrorism, piracy, money laundering and human trafficking; to eliminate these, we need combined efforts”.The Secretary General of the EAC, Dr Richard Sezibera, welcomed the establishment of the centre, promising the Secretariat’s support for the benefit of the regional citizens.“The Secretariat will support the resource mobilization towards realization of this noble venture that will enhance our crime management capacities,” he said.He said that as the integration deepens, the region was bound to face more security threats adding that the community should focus on capacity building in addressing the issue.“East Africa’s economy is growing, so is its population. We expect our region to have about 237 million people by 2030, which is not very far. The security challenges we will encounter tomorrow will, therefore, be very different from those we face today,” he said.The population of the EAC is currently estimated at 133 million people.

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Uganda to host regional forensic centre